Garment hangers



' N tat Patented Jan. 21, I1958 GARMENT HANGERS George Kenney Ballantine, Ridgewood, N. J.

Application July 8, 1954, Serial No. 441,933

4 Claims. (Cl. 24-236) This invention relates to garment hangers, and more particularly to the supporting or suspension hook therefor.

Most garment hangers are provided with a supporting hook which fits over a bar or rod in a clothing closet, on a rack or at other locations and from which the hanger is suspended. These hooks rather loosely fit on the supporting bar, with the result that the hangers often slide along the length of the bar, compact the garments on several adjacent hangers and result in wrinkling of the garments. Similarly, when the conventional hangers are carried on a truck or other vehicle and are suspended from a rod as above pointed out, the hangers will swing or oscillate back and forth; often bring the garments on adjacent hangers in such contact as to fold, crease or wrinkle the garment.

Moreover, with the use of hangers of the conventional hook shape, loosely fitting on a supporting bar, the removal from the bar of a hanger with a garment thereon, often causes one or more of the adjacent hangers and the garments which they carry to become dislodged and fall to the floor.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a hook for a garment hanger which will eliminate the objections above enumerated; which will prevent sliding movement of the hanger along the length of the rod as well as prevent the hanger from swinging back and forth while on the rod. In addition, it is an object of the invention to provide a novel form of hook which will tend to hold the hanger in position on the rod and prevent its inadvertent dislodgement.

With these and other objects to be hereinafter set forth in View, I have devised the arrangement of parts to be described and more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed, v

Fig. l is a front elevational view of a portion of a garment hanger, showing the improved hook applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the same, looking from the left of Fig. l, and with the hanger bar shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a sectional View, taken substantially on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a view of the blank from which the clamp for the llexible hook-closure is formed;

Fig. 5 is a face view of the flexible hook-closure in ilat condition prior to being formed into a loop;

Fig. 6 shows the hook-closure as it appears when detached from the hook;

Fig. 7 is a side elevational view of the hook closure;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view, taken substantially on the line 8--8 of Fig. 6, looking in the direction of the arrows, and

Fig. 9 is a sectional view through a modified form of hook closure.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates the hanger bar upon which the garments are fitted. The same may be of wood, plastic or of metal or any other suitable material. The hook by means of which the hanger is suspended, and usually from a round rod or bar as indicated at 25 in dotted lines in Fig. l, is composed of metallic rod or heavy wire and is formed with a shank portion 2 which extends in or through the body of the bar 1 in a manner to thereby rmly attach the same to the bar.

Formed integrally, and rigidly with the shank portion 2 is the hook portion 3 which is shaped in the form shown to aid it in maintaining its position when suspended from the rod 25 or other suitable support. That is to say, the parts 4 and 4a of the hook portion 3 are arranged at an acute angle so that when the hook is placed over a cylindrical bar, rod or other similar support, as indicated in dotted lines at 25 in Fig. l, a wedging action is exerted on the rod or bar and any tendency of the hanger to swing or oscillate on the rod or bar is obviated. The portion of the hook that is composed of the co-operating angular parts 4 and 4a is preferably, but not necessarily, covered by a suitable noneslip material, such as a sleeve or covering of rubber 26, synthetic rubber, plastic or the like. In the form shown, the sleeve Z6 is provided along its under face with the flat surface 7 which contacts flatly against the face of the rod or bar 25 at the points designated at 5 and 6. Such non-slip surface not only materially prevents rocking or oscillating movement of the hook on the rod or bar, but it also prevents sliding movement of the hook along the length of the rod or bar 25.

At its end or nose, the hook 3 is formed with a supplemental upturned hook 8 having a bight 9 within which is immovably fitted a clamp lil that securely holds a flexible, deformable loop-shaped, hook-closing member 11. The blank from which the clamp 10 is produced, is shown in Fig. 4, where it will be observed that it is in the form of a thin sheet-metal plate in the shape disclosed. At the opposite ends of the blank are formed the enlargements 13 and 214-, the same being folded on the parallel lines 15, and the neck 19 is transversely folded on the transverse fold line 12. The two channel sections of the clamp now face one another with their side wings slightly overlapped, and the flexible, deformable loop-shaped hook closing member 11 has its ends tted into the channels formed by the parts 13 and 14 and are tightly gripped or clamped between the same in a manner to prevent the ends of the member 11 from pulling out of the clamp.

It will be observed that the strip which forms the loop member 11, is formed with the two holes shown at 17 and when the loop'is fitted in the clamp as above described, the -two holes 17 will register with one another so that the supplemental upturned hook 8 at the end of the hanger suspension hook 3 can be extended through these holes in the manner shown in Fig. 1. The parts 13 and 14 of the clamp 10 are notched at the ends, as indicated at 15= to clear the supplemental loop S passing through the holes 17 in the hook-closing member.

To prevent the clamp and the loop member 11 held thereby from pivoting on the supplemental loop 8, the parts 13 and 14 of the clamp are grooved or channelled as indicated at 18. The parts of the supplemental loop 8 which contact the parts 13 and 14 of the clamp, lit into these grooves or channels 13 and thus hold the clamp from pivoting.

The hook closing member 11 may be made of rubber, synthetic rubber, soft plastic, or any other springy, resilient yet deformable material. When fitted iu place at the end of the hook 3 it forms a substantial resilient continuation or extension of the end of the rigid hook 3 and partly closes the entrance to the hook. Due to the resilient nature of the loop 11 it can be deformed, distorted or exed to an extent necessary to enlarge the entrance to the hook and as a -result the hook can be readily fitted over the bar 25. `Once-the bar is within the hook, the loop 1l will spring bac-k toits normal shape, or that disclosed in Fig. 1, and will thus close the entrance to the hook 3 to an extent sufficient to prevent the hook from being inadvertently detached from the bar 25. When' it is desired to free the hook 3 from the oar 25 it is merely manually pulled away, suiiicient manual pull being exerted on the hook to flex or deform the loop 11 and allow the bar to pass out of the entrance to the hook.

From the foregoing, the manner in which the garment hanger is used will be readily understood. The placement of the hook over a supporting bar requires no special handling. The hook is merely forced on the bar by iiexure and distortion of the loop 11 which will occur when the loop 11 is forcefully pressed against the bar 25. When the bar or rod ZS fits within the hook 3, the loop 11, springing back into its normal position, will act to prevent displacement of the hook 3 from the rod or bar 25.

The acute angle formed by the co-operating parts 4 and 4a of the hook 3 will tend to firmly engage against any round rod or bar placed within the hook, and this regardless of variation in diameter of the rods which might be used. The wedging action exerted by the parts 4 and 4a against the surface of the supporting rod or bar is such as to prevent sliding movement of the hanger along the length of the rod. As a result, a number of hangers on a rod, when placed in separated spaced relation, will indenitely maintain such relation and wrinkling or creasing of the garments, often caused by swinging or oscillation of the hangers on their support, will also be prevented.

While i have herein suggested that the hook-closing member 11 may be in the form of a loop, it will be understood that the same may be a single exible element. An example of such an element is shown at 21 in Fig. 9, wherein a tapered section of rubber or the like is anchored in the clamp 1,0 which is fitted on the hook 8 in the manner described. The flexible or springy member 21 is tapered toward the free end 22 to provide flexibility to permit the bar or rod 25 to be forced past it by manual pressure, but will spring back instantly to close the entrance to the hook sufficiently to prevent the hook 3 from being dislodged from the bar under normal use. Member 21 is apertured as shown at 20 to permit the passage of the hook portion 8 through it.

Having described a single embodiment of the invention, it is obvious that the same is not to be restricted thereto, but is broad enough to cover all structures coming within the scope of the annexed claims.l

What I claim is:

l. A suspension hook for garment hangers comprising, a rigid suspension hook portion having a shank portion, said rigid hook portion constituting an extension of the shank portion, the hook being provided with a tip deformed into hook shape, a clip clamped into said hookshaped tip end and in which a flexible, rubber, loopshaped deformable element is gripped, said loop-shaped rubber member providing a deformable, flexible extension projecting from the extremity of the hook and serving to partly close the entrance to the hook, the loop-shaped element being capable of collapsing exure to enable a supporting bar to pass it for location within the hook, said loop-shaped element also requiring collapsing distortion to enable the hook to be separated from the bar.

2. A suspension hook for garment hangers comprising a suspension hook portion, the hook portion having an end formed with an upturned hook, a clamp having a pair of connected jaws, each of said jaws being channelled, a loop-shaped flexible rubber strip having its ends disposed between the jaws and clamped therebetween, the ends of the loop being respectively positioned in the channels of the jaws, the ends of the jaws being recessed, the loop having parts provided with apertures through which parts of the upturned hook extend, said parts of the upturned hook extending in the recesses, the jaws being grooved in their outer faces, with parts of the upturned hook located in said grooves, whereby the clamp is held from pivoting movement with respect to the upturned hook.

3. A suspension hook for garment hangers comprising, a shank having an extended hook portion, a rubber loop having ends, a clamp in which the ends of the loop are fitted, the loop having apertures, the clamp having notches, the hook having its end extending through the apertures in the loop and fitting in the notches in the clamp, the end of the hook portion having a bight in which the clamp is located, said bight gripping the clamp for holding said clamp and the loop against sidewise pivotal movement.

4. A suspension hook for garment hangers comprising, a shank having an extended hook portion, said hook portion having a hooked end, said shank and said hooked end defining an entrance therebetween adapted to receive a supporting bar, a clamp embraced by said hooked end, the clamp having parts interfitting with parts of the hooked end to restrain the clamp from pivotal movement with respect to the hooked end, and a exible rubber element anchored in the clamp and disposed in the entrance to the hook and requiring exure to enable the hook to be fitted over a supporting bar.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 393,138 Blazier Nov. 20, 1888 681,264 Robinson Aug. 27, 1901 1,429,835 Biener Sept. 19, 1922 1,481,165 Wells June 15, 1924 1,557,603 Morrett Oct. 20, 1925 2,549,588 Fillenbaum Apr. 17, 1951 2,671,938 Roberts Mar. 16, 1954 2,693,303 McGhie Nov. 2, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 93,711 Sweden Dec. 7, 1938 139,275 Sweden Feb. 24, 1953 155,284 Switzerland Aug. 16, 1932 668,343 Germany Dec. 1, 1938 

